I played AoC for more than 2 years and enjoyed it.
I was asked by a friend how good it looked and so I made a video just for him.
With the current topic of this thread and the comparison of ESO to AOC, I decided to make a similar video for ESO.
My character is pale because he is a vampire. I am fighting lower level mobs because the video is only for the sights and sounds. Neither video is full of epic fights. Just normal stuff to give the viewer an idea of how the game looks and sounds.
AoC was ahead of it's time back then, as is ESO ahead of it's time now. Thanks for the vids. The progression is evident.
..before anyone has a heart attack reading this, ESO looks really good.
With that said.....AoC was ahead of its time to the point that not only did it look YEARS ahead of every single MMO on the market at the time of its release, but it actually rivals MMOs released this year. It was a technical marval at the time (was also one of the first games on the market to use DX10). AoC was just an example I used, due to it being a 7 year old game....I did not intend for this to turn into a ESO vs AoC debate...
ESO, on the other hand, I would not call "ahead of its time", seeing as there are numerous MMOs on the market that look just as good (or better), some even released before it.
...again....ESO looks really good and is one of the best looking MMOs on the market.....but its not some unique graphical snowflake when compared to its peers...
...If someone labes this as "blind hatred" or an "attack", god help this forum...
Aoc is a good looking game and I agree it's still up there today, however I'm not sure I agree with the technical marvel bit, it was very bad for a lOng time after release performance wise, basically they built a game based on an assumption users would have cutting edge tech, it's much easier technically if you don't give a damn about performance. In saying all that, that is still better than building a shit looking game that plays well - we have those.
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
..before anyone has a heart attack reading this, ESO looks really good.
With that said.....AoC was ahead of its time to the point that not only did it look YEARS ahead of every single MMO on the market at the time of its release, but it actually rivals MMOs released this year. It was a technical marval at the time (was also one of the first games on the market to use DX10). AoC was just an example I used, due to it being a 7 year old game....I did not intend for this to turn into a ESO vs AoC debate...
ESO, on the other hand, I would not call "ahead of its time", seeing as there are numerous MMOs on the market that look just as good (or better), some even released before it.
...again....ESO looks really good and is one of the best looking MMOs on the market.....but its not some unique graphical snowflake when compared to its peers...
...If someone labes this as "blind hatred" or an "attack", god help this forum...
I actually agree with you.
When AoC was in beta, I was a beta tester and I actually built a computer to play AoC. It came out in 2008.
The current computer I use I built in 2011. ESO came out in 2014. (although I upgraded to GTX760 last year).
However, a lot of that is from the fact that computer power is not growing as fast as it was 5 years ago.
AoC was the most beautiful MMO I had played up to that point. I believe no other game came close.
Today, The Repopulation is considered alpha stage and rivals ESO in graphics.
ESO does have better graphics than AoC today ... but like doodphace says, there is a 7 year gap between the 2 games.
However, the OPs post about ESO being beautiful still stands. The OP is right and those who side with doodphace is right.
There is no hate, only discussion; for the most part.
"I don't give a sh*t what other people say. I play what I like and I'll pay to do it too!" - SerialMMOist
I played AoC for more than 2 years and enjoyed it.
I was asked by a friend how good it looked and so I made a video just for him.
With the current topic of this thread and the comparison of ESO to AOC, I decided to make a similar video for ESO.
My character is pale because he is a vampire. I am fighting lower level mobs because the video is only for the sights and sounds. Neither video is full of epic fights. Just normal stuff to give the viewer an idea of how the game looks and sounds.
AoC was ahead of it's time back then, as is ESO ahead of it's time now. Thanks for the vids. The progression is evident.
..before anyone has a heart attack reading this, ESO looks really good.
With that said.....AoC was ahead of its time to the point that not only did it look YEARS ahead of every single MMO on the market at the time of its release, but it actually rivals MMOs released this year. It was a technical marval at the time (was also one of the first games on the market to use DX10). AoC was just an example I used, due to it being a 7 year old game....I did not intend for this to turn into a ESO vs AoC debate...
ESO, on the other hand, I would not call "ahead of its time", seeing as there are numerous MMOs on the market that look just as good (or better), some even released before it.
...again....ESO looks really good and is one of the best looking MMOs on the market.....but its not some unique graphical snowflake when compared to its peers...
...If someone labes this as "blind hatred" or an "attack", god help this forum...
I challenge you to present me a video of any of today's mmorpgs pvp that look anywhere near as good as ESO's. WoW, GW2, FARR, Wildstar, Swtor (the closest imo, still not close) TSW any of them. Once you do, I will do the same so that we can compare side by side.
That being said I agree/ AoC was a good 6-7 years ahead of it's time graphics wise. ESO is atleast half that imho. We wont know forsure until another surpasses it.
Edit- BD is close, but all the characters look the same. Same size and wieght.
I'm currently marveling at just how pretty ESO is, now that I'm playing it from a computer that can run it at max graphics without dying on me. The OP's definitely right, it's one of the most beautiful MMOs out there at the moment, with incredible vistas and landscapes.
It's got some very nice weather effects and night and day cycles as well, which all add a ton of immersion to the game.
My SWTOR referral link for those wanting to give the game a try. (Newbies get a welcome package while returning players get a few account upgrades to help with their preferred status.)
Originally posted by Bladestrom Aoc is a good looking game and I agree it's still up there today, however I'm not sure I agree with the technical marvel bit, it was very bad for a lOng time after release performance wise, basically they built a game based on an assumption users would have cutting edge tech, it's much easier technically if you don't give a damn about performance. In saying all that, that is still better than building a shit looking game that plays well - we have those.
Correction then, it was a technical marvel if you had the hardware to take advantage of it (very very few people had DX10 cards upon its release). That still doesn't change my point though.
Originally posted by Eberhardt And if you want to broaden the spectrum and throw in Single Player RPG's then it loses by a long shot to several games including the elder scrolls games that came before it.
You might want to restate that... Skyrim is the only qualifying example with regards to the TES line looking better than ESO. Oblivion wasn't that fantastic and Morrowind was about on par with EQ 1999. And it should be remembered that ESO initally started development at about the same time as Skyrim but ESO and EQ 2 seem about on par... the exception to ESO is how it handles dynamic lighting. I have never seen it handled the way they do in any other MMO from my personal experience.
I played AoC for more than 2 years and enjoyed it.
I was asked by a friend how good it looked and so I made a video just for him.
With the current topic of this thread and the comparison of ESO to AOC, I decided to make a similar video for ESO.
My character is pale because he is a vampire. I am fighting lower level mobs because the video is only for the sights and sounds. Neither video is full of epic fights. Just normal stuff to give the viewer an idea of how the game looks and sounds.
AoC was ahead of it's time back then, as is ESO ahead of it's time now. Thanks for the vids. The progression is evident.
..before anyone has a heart attack reading this, ESO looks really good.
With that said.....AoC was ahead of its time to the point that not only did it look YEARS ahead of every single MMO on the market at the time of its release, but it actually rivals MMOs released this year. It was a technical marval at the time (was also one of the first games on the market to use DX10). AoC was just an example I used, due to it being a 7 year old game....I did not intend for this to turn into a ESO vs AoC debate...
ESO, on the other hand, I would not call "ahead of its time", seeing as there are numerous MMOs on the market that look just as good (or better), some even released before it.
...again....ESO looks really good and is one of the best looking MMOs on the market.....but its not some unique graphical snowflake when compared to its peers...
...If someone labes this as "blind hatred" or an "attack", god help this forum...
I challenge you to present me a video of any of today's mmorpgs pvp that look anywhere near as good as ESO's. WoW, GW2, FARR, Wildstar, Swtor (the closest imo, still not close) TSW any of them. Once you do, I will do the same so that we can compare side by side.
That being said I agree/ AoC was a good 6-7 years ahead of it's time graphics wise. ESO is atleast half that imho. We wont know forsure until another surpasses it.
..don't move the goalpost...
There are quite a few MMOs on the market that rival or surpass ESO in the graphics department...
FFXIV: ARR, TSW, GW2, TERA, AA, Aion...
There are also some that don't (WoW, SWTOR, Wildstar).
No other MMO I have played looks as good as this one.
Agreed. I have played many an IMO ESO is head and shoulders above the rest.. Everything just fits and seems to have purpose for being there. Most games anymore have craptastic world design ( TERA for example ) and it defeats the purpose of having good graphics / art.
No other MMO I have played looks as good as this one.
Agreed. I have played many an IMO ESO is head and shoulders above the rest.. Everything just fits and seems to have purpose for being there. Most games anymore have craptastic world design ( TERA for example ) and it defeats the purpose of having good graphics / art.
I do not agree with that statement. I would put TSW, for example, as head and shoulders above ESO. I would put AA on par (or better in some instances). I would put FFXIV:ARR on par, Tera, Aion Rift, AoC slightly behind.
The only "newish" MMOs I would put ESO as being head and shoulders above, are SWTOR and Wildstar.
No other MMO I have played looks as good as this one.
Agreed. I have played many an IMO ESO is head and shoulders above the rest.. Everything just fits and seems to have purpose for being there. Most games anymore have craptastic world design ( TERA for example ) and it defeats the purpose of having good graphics / art.
I do not agree with that statement. I would put TSW, for example, as head and shoulders above ESO. I would put AA on par (or better in some instances). I would put FFXIV:ARR on par, Tera, Aion Rift, AoC slightly behind.
The only "newish" MMOs I would put ESO as being head and shoulders above, are SWTOR and Wildstar.
I agree with thorn and Sly as well. TSW has good writing and Cutscenes but that's pretty much it, the gfx are ok, and the maps are tiny and full of okish looking building you cant actually enter. The only game I can think of that is on par with ESO is GW2.
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
No other MMO I have played looks as good as this one.
Agreed. I have played many an IMO ESO is head and shoulders above the rest.. Everything just fits and seems to have purpose for being there. Most games anymore have craptastic world design ( TERA for example ) and it defeats the purpose of having good graphics / art.
I do not agree with that statement. I would put TSW, for example, as head and shoulders above ESO. I would put AA on par (or better in some instances). I would put FFXIV:ARR on par, Tera, Aion Rift, AoC slightly behind.
The only "newish" MMOs I would put ESO as being head and shoulders above, are SWTOR and Wildstar.
I agree with thorn and Sly as well. TSW has good writing and Cutscenes but that's pretty much it, the gfx are ok, and the maps are tiny and full of okish looking building you cant actually enter. The only game I can think of that is on par with ESO is GW2.
I would say TSW looks more than "ok".
Forget MMO, TSW is one of the best looking games on the market...
Funny, TSW's graphics are why I can't get into the game. It's really ugly to me. Same with Archeage. Eye of the beholder.
ESO has really realistic looking graphics which makes it the most immersive MMO for me, personally. The only thing I don't like about them and what truly holds it back from being absolutely breathtaking in my eyes is the view distance.
Funny, TSW's graphics are why I can't get into the game. It's really ugly to me. Same with Archeage. Eye of the beholder.
ESO has really realistic looking graphics which makes it the most immersive MMO for me, personally. The only thing I don't like about them and what truly holds it back from being absolutely breathtaking in my eyes is the view distance.
There is a way to remove the fog but it exists for a reason. It doesn't exist by itself in order to improve performance. It also covers up the massive reduction in graphics quality on distant objects which is what really improves performance. You can remove it and see in the distance but it doesn't very good. I would prefer ZO add the option to scale the fog. I'd like to simply have it at about 50% of normal rather than removing it entirely.
Funny, TSW's graphics are why I can't get into the game. It's really ugly to me. Same with Archeage. Eye of the beholder.
ESO has really realistic looking graphics which makes it the most immersive MMO for me, personally. The only thing I don't like about them and what truly holds it back from being absolutely breathtaking in my eyes is the view distance.
I also really disliked the fog distance, but did not want to install one of the mods that removes the fog (though zenimax says they are ok for now, I do not want to get used to no fog just to have a patch break it for me).
What I did instead was use the sweetfx to defog it a little - there is still fog, but it is easier to make out details through it, and the fog is a misty grey now instead of the distracting blue. I can upload my config if you are interested, but the rest of it I am still working on.
Funny, TSW's graphics are why I can't get into the game. It's really ugly to me. Same with Archeage. Eye of the beholder.
ESO has really realistic looking graphics which makes it the most immersive MMO for me, personally. The only thing I don't like about them and what truly holds it back from being absolutely breathtaking in my eyes is the view distance.
I also really disliked the fog distance, but did not want to install one of the mods that removes the fog (though zenimax says they are ok for now, I do not want to get used to no fog just to have a patch break it for me).
What I did instead was use the sweetfx to defog it a little - there is still fog, but it is easier to make out details through it, and the fog is a misty grey now instead of the distracting blue. I can upload my config if you are interested, but the rest of it I am still working on.
Yeah very, that would be pretty awesome actually, thanks.
I uploaded my settings for you here along with some screenshots. I am still playing with the colors a lot, but I really do like it better when the fog is grey and not blue - I can see more detail through it, and fog shouldn't be blue damnit.
There are also some really good sweetfx profiles there by other people. I just love playing with the colors until they feel right to me. I may go back to using the "Vision SFX" settings myself, as I do think it is an all around improvement everywhere in the game. My only issue with it is it changes the colors a lot, to the point where sometimes I would turn it off just to see what the developers were actually going for.
Forget MMO, TSW is one of the best looking games on the market...
One of the best looking on the market? I think you may need to play more games. In terms of MMO's TSW and ESO both look good, but compared to non-mmos just on the tech level alone, they're no where near the best looking.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
So I post a few awesome-looking screenshots and already the wave of hate has begun to trickle in...
Holy crap.
You did say unparallel beauty even though beauty is very subjective. Titles like these might go well for your personal blog but on open forums ofcourse people are going to give their opinion.
No other MMO I have played looks as good as this one.
Agreed. I have played many an IMO ESO is head and shoulders above the rest.. Everything just fits and seems to have purpose for being there. Most games anymore have craptastic world design ( TERA for example ) and it defeats the purpose of having good graphics / art.
I do not agree with that statement. I would put TSW, for example, as head and shoulders above ESO. I would put AA on par (or better in some instances). I would put FFXIV:ARR on par, Tera, Aion Rift, AoC slightly behind.
The only "newish" MMOs I would put ESO as being head and shoulders above, are SWTOR and Wildstar.
I agree with thorn and Sly as well. TSW has good writing and Cutscenes but that's pretty much it, the gfx are ok, and the maps are tiny and full of okish looking building you cant actually enter. The only game I can think of that is on par with ESO is GW2.
I would say TSW looks more than "ok".
Forget MMO, TSW is one of the best looking games on the market...
Pffff... Hahah...
ESO does good on the details and object placement, the grass, stones plants and trees gives a way more immersive ambient than other MMOs, TERA by example has a terrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrible grass, with so many good looking textures and effects, the ambient of TERA gives a lot to be desired. Although ESO lacks details and effects on the characters, i believe thats because of AvA, to save memory and improve mass pvp performance.
I played a little of AA and it faces similar problems like TERA, too many objects popping out of the ambient making them looking displaced because they are way more detailed than the rest of the world.
FFXIV is a good looking MMO but they need better lighting at night, more detailed objects on the world and a little more grass, looks terrible to have those empty fields so bright. I blame PS3, console peasants.
GW2 is one of the best looking ones on the details and effects, but they also lack a lot on the ambient object placement, least than the other ones, too many long fields with too little detail on them, so many objects way more detailed than the ground, WvW specially looks so bland in comparison with the rest of the game.
SWTOR looks the most ok-ish of the ones I played, Wildstar is kinda ok too, kinda meh.
Comments
I have a few more!
Credits go to Ebondeath, Spidermonk, ChiTownKid99 and a few other users
Heart's Grief, Coldharbour
Ash Mountain, Stonefalls
The Fungal Grotto, Stonefalls
Sentinel, Alik'r Desert
Khenarthi's Roost
..before anyone has a heart attack reading this, ESO looks really good.
With that said.....AoC was ahead of its time to the point that not only did it look YEARS ahead of every single MMO on the market at the time of its release, but it actually rivals MMOs released this year. It was a technical marval at the time (was also one of the first games on the market to use DX10). AoC was just an example I used, due to it being a 7 year old game....I did not intend for this to turn into a ESO vs AoC debate...
ESO, on the other hand, I would not call "ahead of its time", seeing as there are numerous MMOs on the market that look just as good (or better), some even released before it.
...again....ESO looks really good and is one of the best looking MMOs on the market.....but its not some unique graphical snowflake when compared to its peers...
...If someone labes this as "blind hatred" or an "attack", god help this forum...
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
Now playing GW2, AOW 3, ESO, LOTR, Elite D
I actually agree with you.
When AoC was in beta, I was a beta tester and I actually built a computer to play AoC. It came out in 2008.
The current computer I use I built in 2011. ESO came out in 2014. (although I upgraded to GTX760 last year).
However, a lot of that is from the fact that computer power is not growing as fast as it was 5 years ago.
AoC was the most beautiful MMO I had played up to that point. I believe no other game came close.
Today, The Repopulation is considered alpha stage and rivals ESO in graphics.
ESO does have better graphics than AoC today ... but like doodphace says, there is a 7 year gap between the 2 games.
However, the OPs post about ESO being beautiful still stands. The OP is right and those who side with doodphace is right.
There is no hate, only discussion; for the most part.
"I don't give a sh*t what other people say. I play what I like and I'll pay to do it too!" - SerialMMOist
I challenge you to present me a video of any of today's mmorpgs pvp that look anywhere near as good as ESO's. WoW, GW2, FARR, Wildstar, Swtor (the closest imo, still not close) TSW any of them. Once you do, I will do the same so that we can compare side by side.
That being said I agree/ AoC was a good 6-7 years ahead of it's time graphics wise. ESO is atleast half that imho. We wont know forsure until another surpasses it.
Edit- BD is close, but all the characters look the same. Same size and wieght.
I'm currently marveling at just how pretty ESO is, now that I'm playing it from a computer that can run it at max graphics without dying on me. The OP's definitely right, it's one of the most beautiful MMOs out there at the moment, with incredible vistas and landscapes.
It's got some very nice weather effects and night and day cycles as well, which all add a ton of immersion to the game.
My SWTOR referral link for those wanting to give the game a try. (Newbies get a welcome package while returning players get a few account upgrades to help with their preferred status.)
https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ref/Callaron/
Correction then, it was a technical marvel if you had the hardware to take advantage of it (very very few people had DX10 cards upon its release). That still doesn't change my point though.
You might want to restate that... Skyrim is the only qualifying example with regards to the TES line looking better than ESO. Oblivion wasn't that fantastic and Morrowind was about on par with EQ 1999. And it should be remembered that ESO initally started development at about the same time as Skyrim but ESO and EQ 2 seem about on par... the exception to ESO is how it handles dynamic lighting. I have never seen it handled the way they do in any other MMO from my personal experience.
..don't move the goalpost...
There are quite a few MMOs on the market that rival or surpass ESO in the graphics department...
FFXIV: ARR, TSW, GW2, TERA, AA, Aion...
There are also some that don't (WoW, SWTOR, Wildstar).
Agreed. I have played many an IMO ESO is head and shoulders above the rest.. Everything just fits and seems to have purpose for being there. Most games anymore have craptastic world design ( TERA for example ) and it defeats the purpose of having good graphics / art.
I do not agree with that statement. I would put TSW, for example, as head and shoulders above ESO. I would put AA on par (or better in some instances). I would put FFXIV:ARR on par, Tera, Aion Rift, AoC slightly behind.
The only "newish" MMOs I would put ESO as being head and shoulders above, are SWTOR and Wildstar.
I agree with thorn and Sly as well. TSW has good writing and Cutscenes but that's pretty much it, the gfx are ok, and the maps are tiny and full of okish looking building you cant actually enter. The only game I can think of that is on par with ESO is GW2.
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
Now playing GW2, AOW 3, ESO, LOTR, Elite D
I would say TSW looks more than "ok".
Forget MMO, TSW is one of the best looking games on the market...
Final Fantasy XIV: ARR - Eorzea:
All it's splendor in amazing 360p!
You stay sassy!
Funny, TSW's graphics are why I can't get into the game. It's really ugly to me. Same with Archeage. Eye of the beholder.
ESO has really realistic looking graphics which makes it the most immersive MMO for me, personally. The only thing I don't like about them and what truly holds it back from being absolutely breathtaking in my eyes is the view distance.
There is a way to remove the fog but it exists for a reason. It doesn't exist by itself in order to improve performance. It also covers up the massive reduction in graphics quality on distant objects which is what really improves performance. You can remove it and see in the distance but it doesn't very good. I would prefer ZO add the option to scale the fog. I'd like to simply have it at about 50% of normal rather than removing it entirely.
You stay sassy!
I also really disliked the fog distance, but did not want to install one of the mods that removes the fog (though zenimax says they are ok for now, I do not want to get used to no fog just to have a patch break it for me).
What I did instead was use the sweetfx to defog it a little - there is still fog, but it is easier to make out details through it, and the fog is a misty grey now instead of the distracting blue. I can upload my config if you are interested, but the rest of it I am still working on.
Yeah very, that would be pretty awesome actually, thanks.
I uploaded my settings for you here along with some screenshots. I am still playing with the colors a lot, but I really do like it better when the fog is grey and not blue - I can see more detail through it, and fog shouldn't be blue damnit.
http://sfx.thelazy.net/games/preset/2811/
There are also some really good sweetfx profiles there by other people. I just love playing with the colors until they feel right to me. I may go back to using the "Vision SFX" settings myself, as I do think it is an all around improvement everywhere in the game. My only issue with it is it changes the colors a lot, to the point where sometimes I would turn it off just to see what the developers were actually going for.
Yeah that looks really nice. Amazing what a little cleanup can do. The blue seems odd now that 's gone too.
I tried Near Perfection and it was a little too drastic for my tastes, but I'll try vision too eventually.
One of the best looking on the market? I think you may need to play more games. In terms of MMO's TSW and ESO both look good, but compared to non-mmos just on the tech level alone, they're no where near the best looking.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
You did say unparallel beauty even though beauty is very subjective. Titles like these might go well for your personal blog but on open forums ofcourse people are going to give their opinion.
Pffff... Hahah...
ESO does good on the details and object placement, the grass, stones plants and trees gives a way more immersive ambient than other MMOs, TERA by example has a terrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrible grass, with so many good looking textures and effects, the ambient of TERA gives a lot to be desired. Although ESO lacks details and effects on the characters, i believe thats because of AvA, to save memory and improve mass pvp performance.
I played a little of AA and it faces similar problems like TERA, too many objects popping out of the ambient making them looking displaced because they are way more detailed than the rest of the world.
FFXIV is a good looking MMO but they need better lighting at night, more detailed objects on the world and a little more grass, looks terrible to have those empty fields so bright. I blame PS3, console peasants.
GW2 is one of the best looking ones on the details and effects, but they also lack a lot on the ambient object placement, least than the other ones, too many long fields with too little detail on them, so many objects way more detailed than the ground, WvW specially looks so bland in comparison with the rest of the game.
SWTOR looks the most ok-ish of the ones I played, Wildstar is kinda ok too, kinda meh.